Two people have died and eight remain injured after a crowd crush at a concert by the US rapper GloRilla in New York state.
Rochester police initially told CNN that they believed that at the end of the night, fans rushed for the exits of the Main Street Armory venue in response to the sound of gunfire.
In a subsequent statement, the police said: “We are hearing many reports of potential causes, including crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and more.
“Preliminary reports from people at the scene indicate that these injuries were caused from being trampled. We do not have any evidence of gunshots being fired or anyone being shot or stabbed.”
Rhondesia Belton, 33, from nearby Buffalo, died in hospital after being found injured inside the venue.
Police said on Monday that a second woman, aged 35, had also died from her injuries. Another woman remains in critical condition; the other seven people are not believed to have life-threatening injuries.
An investigation is underway into whether the venue’s owners followed safety measures.
The Memphis rapper, who was nominated for best rap performance at the Grammy awards last month, said she was not aware of the incident until after she left the venue.
“I am devastated & heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday’s show,” she tweeted. “My fans mean the world to me … praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected.”
Rochester mayor Malik D Evans said at a news conference that the incident was “totally unacceptable” and a “tragedy of epic proportions … When you go to a concert, you do not expect to be trampled. Your loved ones expect you to be able to come home.
“We are going to hold people accountable for what happened last night, period,” he said. “I intend to get to the bottom of this.”
One woman told a local news station that she was “watching the life flash before my eyes” amid the chaos in the venue.
A show by rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie set for this Saturday has been cancelled.
It is the latest in a string of crowd crush incidents. Ten people died following the disaster at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in November 2021.
In December, two people were killed in a crush at a concert by Afrobeats star Asake at Brixton Academy in London. The venue will remain closed until at least April while police investigate the matter.
• This article was amended on 7 March 2023 to remove references to “a stampede” in accordance with our style guide.
